The Gardening Shelf

Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts
Allyson Levy, author
Scott Serrano, author
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
85 North Main Street, Suite 120, White River Junction, VT 05001 www.chelseagreen.com
9781645020455, $34.95, PB, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Hardy-Fruits-Nuts-Easy-Grow/dp/1645020452

Synopsis: "Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts: 50 Easy-to-Grow Plants for the Organ=
ic Home Garden or Landscape" is a one-stop compendium featuring the most pr= oductive, edible fruit-and nut-bearing crops that push the boundaries of wh=
at can survive winters in cold-temperate growing regions. While most nurser= ies and guidebooks feature plants that are riddled with pest problems (such=
as apples and peaches), veteran growers and founders of the Hortus Arboret=
um and Botanical Gardens, Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano, focus on both com= mon and unfamiliar fruits that have few, if any, pest or disease problems a=
nd an overall higher level of resilience.

"Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts" includes: Taste profiles for all fifty hardy f= ruits and nuts, with notes on harvesting and uses; Plant descriptions and n= atural histories; Recommended cultivars, both new and classic; Propagation = methods for increasing plants; Nut profiles including almonds, chestnuts, w= alnuts, and pecans; Fertilization needs and soil/site requirements, and so = much more!

With beautiful and instructive color photographs throughout, "Cold-Hardy Fr= uits and Nuts features concise, clearly written botanical and cultural info= rmation based on the authors' years of growing experience. The fifty fruits=
and nuts featured provide a nice balance of the familiar and the exotic: f= rom almonds and pecans to more unexpected fruits like maypop and Himalayan = chocolate berry. "Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts" gives adventurous gardeners a=
ll they need to get growing.

Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated, "Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nut=
s: 50 Easy-to-Grow Plants for the Organic Home Garden or Landscape" is impr= essively and comprehensively informative, exceptionally well written, and t= horoughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation. While especia= lly and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and=
academic library Gardening/Horticulture/Agriculture collections, in should=
be noted that "Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts: 50 Easy-to-Grow Plants for the = Organic Home Garden or Landscape" is also available in a digital book forma=
t (Kindle, $26.49). There is a dedicated website at https://www.hortusgarde= ns.org

Editorial Note: Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano are both exhibiting visual a= rtists and co-directors of Hortus Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in New Yo= rk's Hudson Valley. Their garden began as a source of inspiration and raw m= aterials for their art. Over time their interest in growing a wider selecti=
on of plants expanded until the garden encompassed eleven acres and became = their primary passion. Along the way they began planting a vast diversity o=
f plants, both edible and ornamental. This grew into an extensive collectio=
n of cold-hardy cactus, magnolia trees, viburnums, and grafted fruit trees,=
with a focus on rare, underutilized plants. The arboretum is now a nonprof=
it organization and level II arboretum.

The Home-Scale Forest Garden
Dani Baker
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
85 North Main Street, Suite 120, White River Junction, VT 05001 www.chelseagreen.com
9781645020981, $34.95, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Scale-Forest-Garden-Resilient-Landscape/dp/1645= 020983

Synopsis: When market gardener Dani Baker attended a permaculture workshop =
at her local Cooperative Extension office in upstate New York, she was insp= ired by its message of working with nature to create a thriving edible gard=
en ecosystem. She immediately launched a new experiment she dubbed the "Enc= hanted Edible Forest."

With the publication of "The Home-Scale Forest Garden: How to Plan, Plant, = and Tend a Resilient Edible Landscape", Baker shares what she learned as sh=
e became a forest gardener, providing a practical, in-depth guide to creati=
ng a beautiful, bountiful edible landscape at any scale ranging from a few = dozen square feet to an acre or more.

"The Home-Scale Forest Garden" covers: Using permaculture principles; Obser= ving and mapping your space; Building planting beds, including hugelkultur = mounds; Coping with saturated soil; Matching perennial edible plants to the=
right growing conditions; Grouping plants in diverse layers that attract a=
nd shelter beneficial insects and birds; Creating microclimates to increase=
the range of plants you can grow; Pruning, propagating, managing pests, an=
d more; Expending less energy for greater reward.

"The Home-Scale Forest Garden" is complete with descriptions of over 100 fo= od-bearing and multifunctional plants for every layer of a forest garden: o= verstory and understory trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, groundcovers, vin= es, and mushrooms, too.

Critique: With an informative text supported throughout with full color pho= tography, "The Home-Scale Forest Garden: How to Plan, Plant, and Tend a Res= ilient Edible Landscape" is basically a complete course of DIY activists th=
at will enable even the most novice of gardeners and landscapers to create = beautiful and personalized gardens with a forested image and look. Thorough=
ly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Home-Scale Forest=
Garden: How to Plan, Plant, and Tend a Resilient Edible Landscape" is a un= ique and strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, community=
, college, and university library Gardening, Landscaping, and Horticultural=
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Dani Baker and her partner, David Belding, farm at Cross Is= land Farms on Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River between New York a=
nd Canada, where they raise certified organic produce and grass-fed beef an=
d goats. Dani is a retired clinical psychologist and a self-taught gardener=
who learned her craft by immersing herself in reading, poring over nursery=
catalogs, attending workshops on permaculture and gardening, and enthusias= tic trial-and-error experimentation. Dani now conducts workshops and tours =
at her edible forest garden as well as giving presentations at organic farm= ing conferences and other venues. She takes particular pleasure in inspirin=
g others to try their hand at incorporating permaculture principles in thei=
r gardens.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
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(dot) com

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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